


He doesn't deserve you

by IudexInfernalis



Series: Writer's Block Shenanigans [2]
Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Prequel Trilogy
Genre: Gen, Palpatine dies, Sith Obi-Wan Kenobi, he deserved it
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-30
Updated: 2020-06-30
Packaged: 2021-03-04 18:41:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,912
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25001080
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/IudexInfernalis/pseuds/IudexInfernalis
Summary: Obi-Wan left his path to chase the last person he had left.If Anakin wanted to be taught about the dark side, so be it.Sidious needed to go.
Series: Writer's Block Shenanigans [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1809967
Comments: 5
Kudos: 87





	He doesn't deserve you

**Author's Note:**

> It's only something fun to do to help writer's block, I said.  
> I'm only writing a short one shot, I said. 
> 
> Well, here I am, writing nearly 4000 words for a second part... and still having fun with it!
> 
> Hope you all enjoy it too!

Obi-Wan would have never expected the Clone Wars to end like this. Anakin alone on Mustafar, the end of the Republic, and now he was standing in the medical station where Padme had just died and with two children he had no idea what to do with. His own words were ringing in his head.  
‘I will prove to you that he isn’t worth your loyalty.’  
Of course he could ignore them. He could go into hiding and wait for the rising Empire to fall. The thought alone was painful. Sitting back instead of keeping his word and showing Anakin that this… this monster… wasn’t worth everything he had done for him sounded more and more like cowardice instead of being reasonable.  
So, instead of telling Bail he was taking the boy to Tatooine, like he had thought at first, he told him to take the twins and separate them. Also, he told him not to tell him where he brought them. Absolutely not. Under no circumstances.  
As confused as his friend was he trusted Obi-Wan and didn’t question it. Thankfully. Obi-Wan had no interest in explaining just what kind of stupid thing he was planning. It was beyond stupid and entirely crazy but he would walk this path. See it through to the end or die trying.  
While he walked off to get himself a ship he could feel Bail’s trepidation and he wished he could reassure his friend but he knew it would have been a lie. All reassurance he could have offered would have been empty. From now on, the path was uncertain and dangerous. And all that for Anakin… and his pride. He should be so ashamed but the thought of Anakin holding Sidious in a higher regard than him was a worse insult than anything else that could have been thrown at him.  
His excessive attachment to Anakin, his pride, the excitement he felt looking for knowledge…  
Thankfully Master Yoda couldn’t see him now. He wouldn’t be able to look him in the eye.  
Especially not when he was on his way to find knowledge forbidden to him. He lost count of all the times he asked himself if he had completely lost his mind, which he probably had. One needed to be completely insane to do what he was doing.  
He was still inwardly shouting at himself when he stood in front of the Sith Temple. It was older than any that he had seen before. It was intentional. Start as far in the beginning as possible, before there were only two Sith, before Darth Bane. Back when the Sith had a Council too.  
Again he felt torn between going in and turning around, saving his honour and himself. And once more it didn’t feel reasonable but like he was considering running away like a coward. Wasn’t he supposed to be brave? Obi-Wan took a deep breath and walked inside, an oppressive darkness hanging around the whole building. Despite the obvious age of the temple, inside it looked entirely new. It was also surprisingly unguarded.  
With a loud clank and doors snapping shut around him he was proven wrong. He immediately drew his lightsaber as a reflex but to his surprise there was no attack.  
‘A Jedi. In our halls.’  
Obi-Wan turned, trying to pinpoint the voice. It was just echoing through the temple. It probably was the temple itself that brought on this voice. Also, the word Jedi sounded like an insult coming from the voice.  
‘Tell us, Jedi, what do you seek here? In a Sith Temple no less.’  
The instinctive snarky reply got stuck in his throat when he reminded himself that he was caught here. The doors were closed and the temple probably wouldn’t let him go further without an answer. And even though it was a Sith Temple it would probably know if he lied. No matter how hesitant he was about saying out loud why he had come here he had no other choice if he wanted to get further inside. If the answer even got him further inside.  
“Knowledge. I seek knowledge.”  
For a moment everything was silent and Obi-Wan was preparing himself for an attack from the temple, something to either push him out or end him. He was so focused that he almost startled when there was a noise. To his surprise it was a door opening. It wasn’t the one outside but the one further inside.  
‘Those who seek power will find it here.’  
“Power? I said knowledge.”  
‘You will find, Seeker, that knowledge wields the sword that is potential. The finest sword is nothing in the hands of the fool and the rusty dagger is mighty in the hands of knowledge. Knowledge is the true power and therefore what you seek is power.’  
Was the voice of the temple suddenly sounding less hostile? Or was he imagining it in his hope that he wouldn’t die here? The thing that really unsettled him for some reason was that the voice had stopped calling him ‘Jedi’. It was better not to dwell on it though. If it made him less likely to be killed it would be wise not to correct the voice.  
With one final glance in the direction that would have been the exit of the temple he decided to turn and go through the open door that was offering him what he was looking for. Then again, the next thing he saw was a crossing. He waited for the voice of the temple to speak again but there was nothing. Well, he had learned that when he didn’t know where to go he needed to let the Force guide him. As much as he tried though, the only thing he felt was a faint push towards the exit. It was very unhelpful. Blast!  
‘You should leave the teachings of the Jedi behind, Seeker. They will be of no aid here. To truly start your search you must bend the force to your will. Only then will you break your chains.’  
That voice was annoying. It seemed to have such a smug superiority to it. Even worse was that it was right. What use would Jedi teachings be in a Sith Temple? If he wanted to go through with this he needed to play by the rules of the Sith.  
It took more effort than he would ever admit to steel himself and instead of asking the Force for guidance he commanded it to show him the way. As the power of the Force yielded to his will he felt intense shame at how good it felt. A level of control he had never felt before. What had he gotten himself into? He was betraying his ideals, everything he believed, for what? To prove to Anakin that he was better than his new Sith master. Pride.  
He was distracted from his thoughts when a red light lit up the corridor in the middle. Obi-Wan was trying to make peace with the path he had chosen but peace seemed to elude him.  
‘Peace is a lie.’  
And the voice seemed to refuse to stop talking to him.  
“Yes, I know. There is only passion. I have heard of the Sith Code.”  
‘But do you understand?’  
He had the feeling that this led to another test and he didn’t like it. The feeling got stronger when he entered another closed off room. This was definitely another test. Along with everything the temple threw at him his resolve was tested. Not that the temple would let him out if he asked. Not that he would ask. The door behind him fell shut and the voice was talking to him again.  
‘Jedi give their emotions to the Force but no soul remains unaffected by them. You will find yourself confronted with everything you wished to part with.’  
“What?”  
There was nothing more he could have said because he was suddenly assaulted by every single emotion he had ever given to the force. Anger, grief, envy, frustration, fear, and so many more. They were his, definitely, because every single emotion brought with it memories. Deaths of those around him, the council, the senate… Even more pictures than different emotions. Instinctively he tried to give them to the force. It didn’t work. He didn’t know when he had leaned against the wall. It was the first time that he contemplated turning back and getting out of the temple as fast as possible. But no, he wouldn’t flee.  
It finally sank in that he would not leave this temple as a Jedi. Of course he had known it, intellectually. Facing that inevitability made it more real than just simple knowing it. And still, he would not flee.  
Play by Sith rules. That was what he needed to do. So he got up, straightened and used all those burning emotions to give him strength. His anger at Sidious for what he had done to Anakin, his fear of losing the only person he had left for good, the envy of how Sidious was holding Anakin’s attention, all of it gave him the strength to push on and leave his past behind.  
Obi-Wan didn’t even have to do anything this time. The door opened on its own.  
‘You have succeeded, Seeker. Now it is time for you to gain the power you have come here for.’  
He nodded and walked through the door, entering what had to be the library of the temple. It was incredible. Looking around it had to be bigger even than the Jedi archives. Where should he start? As he walked towards all the holocrons and other texts he saw a table in the middle of it all and a single holocron on top of it. That was the most helpful thing that had happened in the temple so far. And yet it felt like a trap, maybe especially because of that.  
Distrust. An emotion he had pushed away too often, even subconsciously. Decisions of the council, actions of other Jedi, even towards the chancellor… and had he not pushed it away he could possibly have stopped everything that had happened. It had been his trust that had turned him blind to everything around them.  
Had he not once upon a time spoken up more? When had he started remaining silent? When had he given up?  
The council had never taken him seriously and instead of staying strong he caved. In hindsight it was embarrassing. Anger joined into his emotions again and he didn’t even try to push it away, knowing he couldn’t… And there might have been a part of him that did not want to. He could not remember the last time he had felt so aware. It was such a contrast to the numbness that had started sneaking up on him.  
‘You have proven yourself worthy thrice now, Seeker. Worthy to claim the power in these sacred halls.’  
Obi-Wan still had a warning voice in his head, telling him to turn back but he shook it off. He had come so far, he was so far on this path that he would not even be able to see the crossroads he had come from.  
Then again, he was starting to understand. The holocron on the desk would have been the easy way if it truly held information. Not exactly challenging. Facing the emotions he had, quite often subconsciously and immediately, given away was. Another challenge, to crumble or to prevail. If knowledge truly was power then these tests were meant to see if he would be able to carry it or break under it and turn insane. Was that what happened to Sidious? Or was he just that insane from the beginning?  
Was the real difference between Jedi and Sith the difference between idealism and realism? Or had the council just lost their way when they had set their faith in the senate and refused to see any corruption there or in their own ranks?  
Anakin had not been wrong when he had said that the senate and the council was corrupt, he had to admit that. He still didn’t think that was the right way to solve it but kriff he had been right all along.  
And it took him entering a Sith Temple to see it. Embarrassment rushed through him. He should have listened but, as he knew now that he couldn’t give it to the force, he had been afraid. Afraid of his views, of his vision of reality, to be challenged and because of that he had withdrawn. Which had also ultimately led to Anakin losing his trust in him. He was as much to blame for what happened as everyone else…  
“Temple!”  
‘What is your wish, Seeker?’  
“Do you by any chance have a room to meditate?”  
‘At your disposal.’  
“Thank you.”  
Since it was his request he doubted this would be a trap and the room that was revealed to him didn’t seem look trapped but his first steps into the room were still cautious. Seeing its interior fully it definitely was a meditation room. He sighed and it spoke for his current internal turmoil that he made sure to sit with his back against the wall, making sure nothing could come from behind.  
His emotions weren’t leaving him. It didn’t matter. He had to confront them now. There was no way around it.  
He didn’t like what he had to confront.  
So much frustration, anger, despair, fear, grief…  
So much attachment…  
All was whirling around wildly in his mind, accompanied by pictured, memories of moments when these emotions arose. He could understand very well how this would drive someone crazy. If he did now what he had done all his life and let his mind rest he would be drowned by all of it. The first thing the temple wanted from him was use his will to command the force, bend it to his will. That was probably the solution to this too.  
Obi-Wan steeled his mind in his meditation, using his will to command his emotions. He was well aware that this was overstepping the final line that he could not uncross.  
The Dark gathered around him, inside him, and years of Jedi training told him to reject it, to cast it away and search for peace. Was there really peace? What had the ‘peace’ the Jedi praised so much been but disconnect? Disconnect from the world, disconnect from their environment, disconnect from themselves.  
He accepted the Dark, accepted the power in it. The feeling was intense, threatening to swallow him. It was a battle between the overwhelming power of the Dark Side and his will. Rushing, tempting, trying to take control… No! He was the one who led. The Dark Side would follow his will and not the other way around.  
Time flew by and Obi-Wan had no idea how long he had meditated. All he knew was that he emerged victorious. The Dark was his to command. He left the meditation room standing straight and proud for what felt like the first time.  
‘Through your power of will you have gained your victory, Apprentice of the Temple.’  
“And through victory my chains are broken.”  
‘Then through your will the force shall set you free.’  
It was time to truly begin his studies and time to very quickly realize just how much knowledge was in this temple. If he truly wanted to learn everything he needed time. Time he did not have. He needed to separate the important from the negligible or he would take years. At the same time he needed to gather as much knowledge as possible if he wanted to beat the monster that had Anakin in his clutches.  
Sith techniques he had seen before and others he had never heard of, some so old that he was amazed that the knowledge was still there.  
The more he learned about the Dark Side the more confident he became that he really could beat Darth Sidious. Not with outright force, of course, but with all the knowledge he got. That meant he had to use it to its full potential.  
Weeks had passed in the temple that he had spent learning and exploring. There was even a spot on top of the temple where he could meditate. The voice of the temple had been strangely silent but he had needed to concentrate on the holocrons anyways. On one day his way led him deeper into the temple, deeper into the now familiar darkness. A room opened on his side and he entered without hesitation.  
‘It is time to create your crystal like you created your new destiny, Apprentice.’  
“You could’ve just told me. It does get old quickly when doors continue to suddenly open. And what do you mean, create? I thought Sith crystals are bled.”  
‘It is one option. Our crystals can be bled from natural ones or made artificially. You can feel which fits your destiny, I assume.’  
As if anyone needed to feel it to know which fit him better. He had created his path, he would create his crystal. He almost felt like a padawan again, only this time on the other side of the Force. It was quite amusing, really, how things could change.  
When he walked back out with his new lightsaber he looked down at the handle. It looked similar in design to his old one but it was held in black with silver markings on it. For a Jedi it would have looked far too much like unnecessary luxury, not that he cared. Turning it on revealed a red glow that was darker in hue than the ones he had seen on the few Sith he had met.  
“Well, Ventress, I stand corrected. Apparently red is indeed my colour.”  
He chuckled to himself and turned it off again, clipping it to his belt as he headed back to the library. Maybe a change of clothes was due too. The light colours didn’t seem to fit him anymore.  
‘The time has come for you to choose your name, Apprentice.’  
Obi-Wan paused. He had completely forgotten about that.  
“I thought Sith are named by their master?”  
‘Do you see a master here? This is your path. We only inform you of the stage you have reached. You are your own master and therefore choose your name.’  
That definitely wasn’t a decision to be taken lightly or he might end up with something entirely stupid or unfitting. As much as it was a relief that this was not in the hands of another finding it on his own was by far the more difficult way. It fit with the theme of the temple.  
One year after he had entered he left the temple as a Sith Lord. It was time to take back his former Padawan and take his revenge on the one who took it from him.  
Sidious had given him quite the opportunity too. He had no presence beyond his armies, which made the number of people to get rid of entirely manageable. The rest, well, what would the common folk care who the shadow behind the empire was? It made no difference to their lives.  
Returning to Coruscant was quite the moment. Troopers everywhere, serving the new Empire. The mind manipulation that he had always been familiar with made it easy to get through now that there was no restriction on it. It had been hard to believe at first but he really only had scratched the surface of what was possible until now.  
When he strode into Sidious’s throne room he had ten troopers walking with him. Not of their own free will, of course, but that did not matter either way.  
“Ah, Lord Vader, I see…”  
The moment when Sidious realized it wasn’t his apprentice finally returning was priceless and so satisfying.  
“I recognize you and yet not. I sense great power in you.”  
Sidious was not thinking what he assumed he was thinking, right?  
“My previous apprentice was… lacking. I believe he is planning to kill me. And here before me stands a new Sith. Someone I know and yet not. A new Sith demands a master to guide. What is your name?”  
The lack of words from the figure beneath the black cloak seemed to strain the emperor’s patience.  
“I demand to know who you are!”  
“I’m the man you took everything from.”  
“That voice…”  
The cloak dropped and in front of the emperor stood none other than Obi-Wan Kenobi.  
“Troopers, what are you waiting for? Attack!”  
“Oh these here? They’re mine.”  
Right on cue the power went down and the whole room was down. Everything was dark and in the middle of the darkness a blue lightsaber lit up. Before it could move though lightning struck it, accompanied with dark laughter from the emperor.  
Said laughter was cut short when he found a red lightsaber sticking out his chest.  
“You will regret this, Obi-Wan Kenobi.”  
“If you mean your little scheme with your clones I must disappoint you. I made sure that you stay dead.”  
With that the red saber was drawn upwards, ending all conversation. That was it for the hard part. Getting rid of Sidious’s body was easy with the troopers he had.  
From then on it was a matter of picking up the strings the Sith Master had dropped. Noone would expect someone to dare and impersonate the Emperor. Especially not a former Jedi. It took a few nearly slips but he got everything running smoothly without anyone noticing. And even when he got rid of the former red guard and replaced them with the clones he had put under his control no one seemed to notice.  
Also, thankfully, he was always just called Emperor because if someone called him Emperor Palpatine they would hardly manage to life more than another few moments. He would start to slowly erase that name too. He didn’t deserve to be remembered, like he hadn’t deserved to have Anakin.  
It took Anakin longer than he would have thought to finally arrive.  
When he walked in though Obi-Wan was already expecting him.  
“Master.”  
“Hello there, Anakin.”  
The shocked expression on his face alone made it all worth it.  
“I told you, I’m better than him.”  
He waited. Anakin definitely needed a moment to process this. It seemed the young Sith had been so focused on his revenge that he had not felt the shift in power. Some force sensitives probably had but he was prepared in case they were coming.  
“Anakin Skywalker is dead. My name is Darth Vader.”  
“As you wish. If you insist on Sith names you may call me Darth Herus.”  
There was still some confusion and hesitance in Anakin, no… Vader, but he had time. More than enough, actually.  
Vader stood, stepping closer and closer to the throne. It was a battle of will, would the new emperor flinch and reach for his saber? No, he didn’t. His posture didn’t even tense. He just watched the younger Sith with curiosity.  
Then Vader got down on one knee.  
“I was wrong. You have more to teach me than I could have ever imagined. If you will still have me, I swear myself to you and your teachings.”  
The relaxed smirk on his face became sharp and he gave his new old apprentice a nod.  
“Let’s start forming this Empire to our will.”


End file.
